Deep
by T.T bandgeekk T.T
Summary: Akita Maderline and Stacy and Gracey McLaine ran from their home planet and escaped to Earth where they find a home, friendship, and even love. But what they don't know is that they might just be taken right back to the very planet they ran from.TxOC GxOC
1. Chapter 1

Hi! I know you hate these, believe me, I do too, but I would feel guilty if I didn't do it.... **Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do NOT own dragon ball z or any of its characters!

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Chapter 1

_I can't remember why it is that we came. All that I can remember is hurting and sadness--And the smell of death. I remember waking up to it and falling asleep to it like an awful lullaby that won't stop playing in my mind. I remember being scared. But, even with all of these little memories, I can't piece them together, it seems almost like this puzzle will forever go unsolved. Even as I know this I can't stop pondering over them day in and day out. The painful memories seem filled with purpose, almost like a warning._

•_••••_

"Miss McLaine!" With a gasp, I yanked my head away from the desk almost as if it had burned me. At first my vision was blurred, but as soon as it cleared I found myself staring straight into the angry eyes of Mr. Karl, my science teacher.

"Ahh. Welcome back, Miss McLaine, to our quaint little world of logic and reason. I'm _dreadfully_ sorry, but seeing how this class discussion is full of nothing but scientific theory, I'm afraid that we just don't have any room for the…crazy talk…of Lucian and Roth." His words were heavily laced with sarcasm and indifference.

"But Mr. Karl, I—"

"Therefore you shall escort yourself to the principal's office, where you will be told how many days of detention you will receive this time." I would have argued, but it seemed pointless. Mr. Karl's' word is law. I gathered my textbooks and papers and put them into my Invader Zim messenger bag and, keeping my eyes downcast, I shuffled out of Mr. Karl's science classroom. Fortunately, I had been ordered out of his classroom so many times that I no longer suffer the humiliation of being the figure of ridicule.

The classrooms are supposedly sound-proof, but even so, shortly after I closed his classroom door, Mr. Karl's booming voice yelled, "CEASE IT!" and the roaring laughter coming from my juvenile "fellow" students did just that.

Now the only sound in the hallway were the clicks on the floor coming from my sister's stiletto boots as I walked down the hall, and the sound of my bag bouncing off of my hip with every other step I took. There were many halls in Orange Star High—Hell, there were about seven floors as well!—but this particular corridor was practically bare except for five classrooms and a single water fountain. The majority of these classrooms had their doors open, and I felt the stares of the students burn holes through my back as I advanced through the hall on the way to Ms. Oshii's, our principle's, office.

Mr. Karl's science is classroom was, however, cursed with the misfortune of being all the way on the seventh floor, but three elevator trips and four flights of stairs later, I finally arrived to my destination. I reached out and timidly knocked on the colossal wooden door.

"Come in."

The words were muffled by the thick door, but they were still menacing. I took a deep breath and began to open the door. I could only hope that she wouldn't be angry with me for whatever reason, or, if I'm lucky, she won't be angry at all. Sometimes you could never tell with Ms. Oshii. 'Here goes,' I thought before opening the door all the way.

"Hello, Ms. Oshii!" I exclaimed. She glanced at me, and after seeing the identity of the voice her smile matched my own. She stood abruptly, making her short, sleek black bob bounce and fly.

"Miss McLaine! How are you this fine day?" Her words were sincere, her black eyes sparkled. What can I say? Our principle, Ms. Oshii, is my best friend. On her good days anyway…

"Oh, just peachy! Thanks for asking! And how are you, Ms. Oshii?" I put on the best smile I could and I leaned forward a little to seem more interested.

"Everything's just—"She hesitated and took in what I was wearing. "Umm, so where exactly is your usual dark ensemble, silver jewelry everywhere, and dirty sneakers?"I was surprised at first, but, then again, she has a point in asking. Today I was wearing my preppy sister's clothes, not to mention barely any make-up and my hair was perfectly wavy when it's usually perfectly straight without a single wave in sight.

"Okay, well….I'm wearing these annoying boots because Gracey trashed all of my good ole' sneakers while I was sleeping, and yesterday it was her turn to do everybody's laundry, but she 'forgot' to do mine. Plus she hogged the bathroom this morning and somehow managed to hide my straighter and the majority of my good make-up. I love her, but she can be so evil sometimes…it's the cheerleader in 'er I'm tellin' ya."I finished with a stupid grin, seeing as how I thought the situation was rather funny. My smile vanished and I found myself staring at the mahogany carpet. Apparently, Ms. Oshii didn't see the humor in today (and yesterday's) events. She sighed quietly and looked away from me before getting up and busying herself by shuffling through loose papers, letters, and detention forms.

"You two should really learn to accept each other, Stacy. Now I assume that you're here for detention, yes? One week." Now, her back was facing me, and she didn't say another word. Her words were no longer warm and kind, but firm and slightly angry. I know I shouldn't, but I couldn't help but argue.

"One _whole_ week? You usually give me three days! Wha—"

"You are dismissed. Arrive to your next class on time, because I am not writing you a late note. Good day, Miss McLaine."

At first, I began to trudge through the thick crowds on my way to Mrs. Luke's English class, but, then I figured, 'Oh, what's the point? She won't miss me.' So I decided to hang out in the school garden. It would be a good place to let off some of the steam.

The clean, crisp air was refreshing. I was in the middle of the school garden so I was surrounded by the abundant cherry blossom trees and crimson rose bushes. I sat on the stone walkway and slowly eased against one of the pink trees. I sighed and tossed my mid-back length, light blonde hair behind my shoulders as I tiled my head back and closed my eyes, allowing my pale face to bask in the soft sunlight. I had never thought highly of the school's garden before, but now I see that it's beautiful and actually quite relaxing.

Or…at least it was, until I heard the high pitched giggles of one of the ooh so popular cheerleaders. I considered getting up, but when she started talking, I realized that I couldn't get away without being noticed.

"Really, Trunks! You should totally come and sit with us at lunch today! We'd love to have your company!" She wasn't in my sight, but I could easily pick out Amy Perkins's voice anywhere. I could just see her batting her thick, mascara covered eyelashes (not that I'm not wearing mascara either, but on her it looks tacky.) and flipping her short auburn hair every which way. And, of course, she would be asking Trunks Briefs to hang out with her and her cheerleader friends at lunch today. Go figure. Everyone knows that Trunks is the hottest, smartest, and strongest, not to mention _richest_ guy in the world. Maybe even the city. She's just after all of his money.

"Sure, Amy. I'd love to…but…I really do wish that it was just you and me. That way we can be alone." His deep husky voice filled the air, and his last comment rewarded him with another round of high-pitched giggles from the size two Queen Bee. I figured he probably had her up against a tree a few feet away (I could hear their conversation pretty well and it sounded like they were whispering…they had to be close by.) and he was probably running his hand through his silky lavender hair with his smiling blue eyes and—unfortunately—sexy smile luring her in. I heard the repulsive wet sound of them kissing before they left to get to class.

I have one word—scratch that—THREE words to describe what I just overheard. Repulsive. Grotesque. Horrifying. I don't think I really want to hang out in the garden anymore.

X X X X X

My original plan was to sneak past Miss Manderline without her knowing, but, unfortunately, that woman has eyes at the back of her head.

"Child, I don't know why you even try. You know that I can sense your ki, yet you seem to want to ignore that fact." She turned from the store and crossed her arms, then she leered at me. To be honest, I thought she looked a little ridiculous. Her red hair was frizzy from the heat of the kitchen, and her brow was lined with little bead of sweat. Not to mention the fact that Miss Manderline is of…well…ample proportions, and her chunky apron did nothing but beg for ridicule like the unflattering thing that it is. But in the end none of that really mattered. She is my guardian/housekeeper and she's also the closest thing to a mother I've got. In the long run, what I mean to say is that, I love her. No matter what. Unless she takes her voodoo dolls out in front of guests again. That would be a problem.

I didn't say anything in response to her comment, nor did I allow her stare to intimidate me. Instead, I set my bag on the tile island, and I began unpacking. I could feel Miss Manderline's eyes studying me, but she remained quiet.

"So. I take it that you aren't here for a lunch break?"She inquired. I could smell the food that she was cooking burning, but she didn't seem to really care about it anymore, so I didn't mention it to her.

"Hope. I have had enough of school for today." I slammed the next textbook I'd unpacked against the table to emphasize my meaning. But, she just didn't seem to get the message.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her voice softened and I heard her take a couple of steps toward me.

She just doesn't get it.

"No. I'm fine. I just need some time alone!" My tone was a lot harsher than I'd meant for it to be, but it was too late to take it back now. I had far too much pride to do such a thing.

Without another word, I went upstairs to my room and I slammed my door as hard as I could without breaking it. Before Miss Manderline could come up here to bother me again, I turned up my stereo as loud as it could go and surrounded myself with My Chemical Romance and I am Ghost. I glanced at all the posters on my pale gray walls. Avril Lavinge, Marilyn Manson, Evanescence. They were all there. I lay against my Invader Zim comforter and closed my eyes and thought about everything that had happened today. My thoughts traveled from Ms. Oshii's comment about my attire to my unknown encounter with Trunks and Snooty Amy. then my incredibly and undesirably _known_ encounter with Miss Manderline.

Hopefully that was the end, but maybe it won't be. I'm just going to have to wait until the next day, I guess.

X X X X X

I'd drifted to sleep while thinking of the days prior events. My head ached and I felt like I was suffering from a hangover, even though I only drink _that_ much at parties. And to make things worse, in the midst of all of this thinking I had multiple calls from the school. They were all, of course, unanswered, but I have a feeling that I would be hearing about it at school tomorrow.

There was a loud impatient knock on my door, and it sounded as though whoever was knocking had been standing there for a long while.

After turning off my music, I yelled the excepted, "Just a minute!" Then, figuring that it was Miss Manderline, I took my time getting off of my soft bed—I even took my time thinking about getting off of my bed—and slowly made my way across my dark room. Now, all that was in front of me was a Slipknot poster, and behind that my door. I stood there for a couple of minutes, hoping to annoy her, and then I slowly opened the door.

Well…I did annoy the person behind the door, but said person was not Miss Manderline. In fact, it was none other than my "beloved" sister, Gracey. Gracey has a short fuse, and now I could see that she was enraged and her anger was, no duh, focused on me.

"I cannot believe you! This is the fourth time you played hooky for the end of the day! I figured this time that maybe, just maybe, something might have been wrong, or maybe you were sick. But, no! I come home to check on you, and here you are locked in your room being all emo—"I folded my arms and interrupted her.

"Please, do not categorize me." My voice was completely monotone and indifferent, and she just got madder. Her bright blue eyes began to twitch, and I could swear that there were a few slivers of silver mixed in with her thick, shoulder length chestnut hair. Then again, it could just be the poor lighting taking effect.

Apparently, she had said a whole lot more while I was trying to decide if she was sprouting little gray hairs on her pretty little head or not. Now her pixie like face was red and formed a scowl meant just for me. How sweet!

"Are you even listening to me?!" she shrieked.

"No…no, not really," I shrugged and walked towards my bed again and I hoped she would get the hint. I sat down and looked out the window even though there was nothing to look at. Just trees, trees, and more trees. I heard her begin to close the door but then she surprised me by saying,

"I love you Stacy, you mean the world to me. I wouldn't replace you with anyone else, even if I had the choice. You really are one of a kind. But…this bad girl charade has to end." Her voice was quiet and she sounded disappointed. She closed the door a little more. "It's time for you to learn to make a place for yourself in society, and, most importantly, it's time for you to start trying to fit in." Then the door closed all the way with a click.

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:) I hope you liked it, this is my first story to post on here, so I'm pretty excited! :) Please comment and review! Suggestions are always welcome! :)


	2. Chapter 2

*sigh* Well, first I would like to start off with the usual disclaimer: I do not, unfortunately, own dragonballz or any of its characters. I'm still trying to figure this whole thing out, so I forgot to do this with chappie numero one.  Oh, well! I'll remember next time!

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Chapter 2

My heart pumped quickly as I pummeled through the crowd of business men and women. Of course I, out of all people, would sleep in and get to school more than two hours late after playing hooky just the day before. I made it to the seventh floor just as the tardy bell sounded. Damn it, I'm tardy. I opened my phone to see the time. 10:32 a.m. And I'm late for none other than Mr. Karl's class. Hmph. Figures.

Just as I walked in, already five minutes late, Mr. Karl was already chewing somebody out.

"Mr. Briefs! I gave you the privilege to work on your own, _not_ the privilege to talk to your neighbors! Oh, and mind you, Mr. Briefs, the only reason I even let you have the first said privilege is because the class is at an uneven numb—" Mr. Karl stopped in the middle of his rant, noticing my presence for the first time. That old geezer turned around and smiled—SMILED—at me like I was a saint. I do believe that that's the first time he's ever smiled at me this entire year!

"Ah…Miss McLaine," all eyes were on me. "What a pleasure it is to see you this morning! Why don't you sit right here?!" He pointed at the empty seat next to Trunks. I thought about what I overhead and I felt a little queasy. What if he somehow knew that I was there?

"Oh…well…" I stammered and I backed away slightly while trying to thinking of a good excuse _not_ to go and sit by him. That was until Mr. Karl literally reached and grabbed me, and then eased me into the empty seat. Trunks smirked and glanced at me, then he turned away and smiled at Mr. Karl.

"I take it I now have a partner, Mr. Karl?" he asked. The question itself was innocent enough, but the leer that came with it was anything but. I don't think I've ever seen him look so intimidating before. Then again, I never see him not flirting with some girl, so he's almost always smiling when I see him.

Mr. Karl quickly turned away—I don't blame him--, rearranging the knick knacks on his desk.

"Yes. Yes you do," he said.

Trunks grunted and continued preparing his equipment and getting chemicals ready for whatever it was he was doing.

"So, what are we supposed to be doing?" I watched him as he adjusted everything again.

"Don't worry about it. Just sit back and relax. Let's get to know each other, 'kay?" He never made eye contact with me, but I could tell that I had his full attention. All I had to do was say something.

"Uh…okay. Sure…" I cleared my throat and shifted my weight in the chair. Knowing that Trunks isn't really the "get to know you" type, as in learning about the other person's interests and stuff, I suddenly began to feel really self conscious. I ran my fingers through my perfectly straight hair, and I adjusted the bottom of my "WTF?" shirt again and again.

"So, you're a rebel?" I knew he wanted to talk, but his voice surprised me.

"Excuse me?"

"Well. Do you like to rebel against you parents is what I mean. I kinda noticed that you've pretty much made the detention hall you 'home away from home'."

"I try not to. Kind of. I honestly don't know how I keep getting thrown into detention…."

"Maybe it's 'cause you fall asleep during class."

I was getting ready to fire back at him with something rude, but he, unfortunately, had a point.

"Yeah…I guess you're right." He chuckled and made eye contact with me for the first time. I continued, "So have you ever gotten detention?" He looked away again, and began taking notes in his notebook before answering me.

"Once." Wow. Even perfect Trunks Briefs has gotten detention.

"What for?"

"I got caught sucking face with Amy in the choir closet when I should've been in class." I smiled. Only Trunks would care to use such raunchy terminology. I pretended to gasp, but then I started giggling for some reason and I couldn't stop. Trunks turned and smiled at me, but it wasn't the usual "ten million dollar" smile that he used to woo girls. It was soft and thoughtful. I wanted nothing more than to ask him what he was thinking. He rested his chin on his hand and laughed.

"It's funny how you should find_ my_ reason comical. I swear, Stacy, I think I've seen you in detention everyday this entire year!" My laughter faded to silence and I must have seemed puzzled because of the way Trunks reacted. His smile disappeared and he seemed nervous, as though he did or, said something wrong. Then again, maybe he did…how did he…

"I thought you said you've only gone to detention once, and I don't remember ever seeing you there….so…what are you doing in the detention hall when you could be at your house or somewhere with Amy or your friends?"

His expression went blank and he turned away from me. He seemed on edge, and I know I said nothing wrong—who _wouldn't_ want to know what he was doing there?

"What's wrong?" I whispered the question as quietly as I could—I knew he wouldn't want other to know what was bothering him, and at the moment, I had nothing against him, so I respected the need to keep up his reputation.

He was silent, and remained so for the rest of the period. As soon as the bell rang, he turned in the first part of the lab, and he was gone.

X X X X X

I couldn't stop thinking about it. I never cared much before, but I know I've always seen Trunks strutting about the halls (he makes himself kinda hard to miss), but for the rest of the day I didn't see him. I even tried looking for him! Of course, I didn't do the whole "ask his friends" nonsense. They wouldn't give me the time of day, much less answer questions on how to find the most popular guy in school. Most likely, I' just end up getting punk'd or getting humiliated. Maybe I'd be lucky enough to get both. But, I decided on the safe route and I just kept a lookout for him as I tread though the crowded halls in between classes.

After not seeing him again for the rest of the day, I eventually gave up. Besides, I had to go to detention or my life would be made a living hell by Ms. Oshii. Since the detention hall was located on the same floor that I was already on, I took my time getting there.

I wasn't sure how close or far away I was to detention—nor did I really care—but then I heard someone mumbling.

"Where the hell is she? I know she has detention today!"

I stood there staring at him for a long time. He leaned against the wall and folded his muscular arms against his chest. For some reason he seemed so out of place with his handsome features and designer attire. He glanced at his Cartier watch and ran his hand through his signature purple hair before letting out a frustrated sigh. I took a quiet step closer.

"Are you waiting for Amy?" I asked. I brought my feet together and looked down at my classic black and white Converse sneakers, as I waited for him to reply. I didn't want him to see any possible disappointment just in case I didn't get the answer I was hoping for. He heard him push himself away from the wall quickly. I looked up under my bangs and saw that he was blushing, and he too, was looking at the floor.

"Umm, yeah. But she's not here, so…yeah. Maybe she didn't have detention today like I thought she did," he looked up at me before brushing past me to leave. He stopped when he was right beside me and said, "I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow, if you decide to show up." He chuckled and walked away.

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Yay!!!!!! I'm finished! Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions! (:P)


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, I know I put this one up a little quick, but what I currently have is confusing without this one, so I thought I should go ahead and post it. :)

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Chapter Three

I can't help but admit to myself that I _was_ a little disappointed. For a second, I was foolish enough to believe that maybe he was there to see me. I feel like such an idiot. It's a good thing I decided to look down, that way he wouldn't be able to tell.

I couldn't focus on detention, not that there was much to focus on in the first place, but I'm usually up and about and today all I wanted to do was sit in my chair and stare out the window at the garden. I never noticed how slowly time goes by when you're doing absolutely nothing. I don't think that Mr. Prescott has ever been so proud of me in his entire time of knowing me.

I realized that, in a way, it's disrespectful, but I couldn't concentrate and there was nothing I could do to keep myself away. So, I dozed off.

•••••

_"Get out of here," He wouldn't even look at me. There was something he wasn't telling me, something he didn't want me to know…_

_"But, Brother! I don't want to leave without you! You're fami—" The slap didn't hurt much, but it served it purpose. An almost numbing pain jolted through my body when I slammed against the hard stone floor. My pants were short and quick. I closed my eyes and stayed still for a long while with hot tears streaming down my face. I don't want to go to some other planet without him. He was the one who raised me before mother sent Miss Manderline. He was important to me! I looked up at him slowly, afraid he might hit me again._

_"Brother…why?" He was looking at me now, his eyes were sad and knowing, but his jaw was tensed and his fists were clenched at his sides. He seemed so angry with me…I don't understand. Why is he upset? What did I do wrong? Did I even do anything? He kneeled down and craned his neck a little to the side so that he was eye-level with me._

_"I'm part of the militia, Stacy. Do you remember? Were you aware?" I sat up a little bit._

_"Yes…I remember. That's why you were away all of the time."_

_"Yes, that's right. And I know that you're aware of the virus," He tone became soft and gentle, and he reached out and brushed a strand of hair from my face. _

_The virus had killed thousands of our kind. It was the worst recorded plague of all time, and it was one of the few diseases that could actually take the life of a sayain. Because it was so dangerous, most of our people stayed in their homes or left to other planets. However, some of us went insane and killed anyone who showed any signs of possibly being affected. The population had declined dramatically, and those who weren't killed by the virus were killed in the massacre. More people have died in the past few days than when Frieza ruled the original planet Vegeta. _

_"Stacy…we're all that's left. Even the Sayain Elite Force has been eliminated by the virus and it's effects! I have to stay here, but you have to go somewhere safe, and earth is the safest place. Even planet Namek is being eating alive by this goddamn disease! Okay?! Do you understand, now?!" He stood and walked away from me to look out the window. The lump in my throat throbbed, and it was hard to breathe. I couldn't leave him here to die…_

_"Yes, but—"_

_"Get out." My vision blurred as I tried to stop the tears from leaving my eyes again—I musn't show signs of weakness in front of him. Not again._

_He began to study the maps of the city, trying to memorize each and every detail. He needed to be aware of anything that would be useful to him and the other warriors during combat. After all, they're all depending on him. _

_I remained silent and allowed him to work. Besides, this distraction will give me time to gather my bearings. A few tears ran down my face and I quickly wiped them away. I took a few steady breaths before standing up and smoothing down my hair a little. I must have insulted him by allowing myself to look so distraught. I took a deep breath before speaking._

_"Brother?" He stopped shuffling through his maps for a moment, but returned to his work just as quickly as he'd stopped._

_"I told you to leave," His words were sharp and firm. This should have been warning enough, but even though my mind was screaming and begging for me to do as he said, my mouth seemed to have a will of its own._

_"You keep telling me that I'm special. That our planet would be doomed if I were infected by the virus. But you also mentioned another reason I have to leave—"_

_"Stacy…"_

_"That some people—perhaps the ones trying to kill the infected?—would try and…how did you put it? Use me as the ultimate killing machine against you and—"_

_"Stop it."_

_"The same goes for Gracey, but somehow you got her convinced and she's ready to leave with or without you—"_

_"As she should be, now be quiet and leave!"_

_"But I don't want to leave you behind brother!! Why can't you see that?! Why can't you unde—"_

_"SILENCE!!" His ki has risen to a dangerous level as I went on in my little rant. My own short-lived rebellion against him._

_I didn't even see his fist, he moved so fast. I didn't realize he had even moved until the punch collided with the side of my face at full force._

_He said something else to me, but I couldn't hear him over the ringing in my ears. I couldn't feel anything other than the cold floor on my body and the warm, bittersweet liquid that trickled down the side of my face. I didn't have to look and see to know that it was my blood._

_It seemed like the room was spinning, but I was faintly aware that he had picked me up, and by the look on his face, it seemed like he was screaming at me._

_I could just barely hear it over the ringing and my own heartbeat. His red, howling face was the last thing I saw before I blacked out._

•••••

"Stacy…Stacy, wake up,"

Someone gently nudged my shoulder. I groaned and gradually sat up. I still hadn't opened my eyes, but I already knew that I'd see none other than my dear Gracey standing in front of me. I let out a small yawn and opened one eye. Yep. Preppy, pretty, and clearly unhappy with me. I closed my eye and got out of my chair so I could stretch. Gracey began tapping her foot and it wasn't long before her fingernails joined the parade and started clicking impatiently on the desk.

**XXXXX**

"Are you really going to ignore me? Really?" I ran my tongue over my teeth and met my sister's glare, knowing that mine would make her back down, if only for a little bit. She'd been sitting their glaring at me and refused to speak to me the whole drive, even when I'd tried to make light conversation with her. Miss Manderline had already gone inside to prepare dinner, leaving us in the car to settle things.

Gracey didn't answer. Instead, she turned away and pursed her lips staring straight ahead.

"Do you want to settle this over a sparring session?" I narrowed my eyes and gave her the most challenging look that I could muster up. She scoffed and sneered, "No. Let's not draw attention to ourselves, 'kay?" I did a quick 360 to view our surroundings. South: trees. West: trees. North: trees. East: more trees. We were surrounded by acres and acres of 20ft tall goddamn foliage and she's worried about being seen?! I sat up in the leather seat and peered into the nearest window of the three-story Victorian styled house to see if we had company. Nope….the only one inside was Miss Manderline.

I can't say that I'm surprised—we never have company. Gracey doesn't want to fall off of her little social ladder because of me and Miss Manderline is extrememly paranoid, so she usually stays away from others. And, me? I don't have a social life, really. There are kids who have tried to befriend me before, but I have to say, I am unconditionally in love with the solitude in my bedroom.

I leaned back into my seat and crossed my arms. Gracey and I were silent for a few uncomfortable minutes before I felt like arguing with her.

"Nobody can see us," I prodded. I knew this would probably push me over to her bad side, but it's not like I wasn't there anyway. So what harm could a little nagging do?

"They don't have to see us to know we're there. They don't have to see us to find out what we are," Her chin trembled and she brought her hand up to cover it. I didn't say anything regarding the gesture. I knew it was hard for her. She just had so much pride.

She was right. If anyone found out that we weren't human, it would wreak havoc all over the world. To know that "aliens" exist would be a major breakthrough and change history yadda, yadda. We'd be a walking freak show. Scientists would be doing all these weird tests and experiments on us; they may even purposely cause harm to us either because they don't like us, or to observe our healing patterns. Our lives would be taken from us, and nothing would ever be the same. We'd be no more important than goddamn lab rats.

I sighed and opened the car door to get out. I hesitated and looked and Gracey. She was silent but her face was covered with her hands and her shoulders were shaking.

"Gracey?"

"I just want to be alone for a little while. Go away," her voice was stifled by her hands, but I still heard her. I shut the door and headed inside. Now I could hear her sobs. The sound was strange to me. I hadn't heard Gracey cry since we were eight years old. I hadn't cried since then either. We were strong. We don't cry. We don't show emotion that could make us seem weak.

I could have turned around and scolded her for allowing herself to appear this way, but I knew that doing so would only make things worse so I remained silent and proceeded into our secluded home.

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Yay!!!! Please review! Suggestions are welcome. :)


	4. Chapter 4

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Usual disclaimer: i don't own dbz or any of its characters.

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Chapter Four

I didn't see Trunks at school today. He was in the majority of my classes, and he didn't attend any of them. I'd thought I had seen him once over by the lockers, but then I blinked and he was gone. Maybe he was just sick today.

The sky was gray and the clouds were thick and menacing. The rain was light and gentle at first, but quickly turned into a horrible thunder storm. I thought the sound was beautiful; I had always read about thunder storms in class, but I'd never actually been in the middle of one before. This is the first time I've ever heard the thunder for myself. At home, my music is usually playing so loud that I've never noticed it before.

I leaned against the brick wall, and subtly looked around. Gracey wasn't out yet—she was probably avoiding the storm—and Miss Manderline wasn't here to pick them up yet. Seeing as how I was alone, I closed my eyes and sat down on the dry concrete while I listened to the storm as it raged on.

First, I heard Gracey's familiar giggle, followed by a male's voice.

"Great! I can't wait to go! So, do you need to let someone know? You can use my cell if you don't have yours with you," his voice was cheerful and friendly, but I couldn't pair it with a face in my mind. I could have easily looked to see, but I didn't really feel like it.

"Oh, that's okay. My sister's right over there, I'll go tell her, and she'll tell Miss Manderline for me, I'm sure. Just a minute," I could hear the sound of her heels clicking closer and closer. I opened my eyes.

"Hey, Stacy," Gracey smiled and stopped in front of me. She didn't continue, and I knew that she was waiting for me to acknowledge her presence with something other than a stare.

"Hi," I leaned to the right so I could see behind her and sneak a peek at the guy she was talking to. Ahh, Goten Son. Trunks' best friend. He glanced up at me and gave me a goofy lopsided grin. I lost interest in him and turned my attention back at Gracey.

"Um, I'm going on a date with Goten, so I'll see you later, probably around eight. We're going to go eat lunch and see a movie or something," She swayed back and forward, and her smile didn't falter. Miss Manderline hates it when we go places with the opposite sex. 'Hell, no!' I thought. But Gracey just had to look so damn happy. My mind flashed back to when I heard her crying in the car.

"Sure. I'm not telling Miss Manderline you're out with a boy, but I'll figure something out before she gets here. Correction: _if_ she gets here." I shouldn't have said that. I should have told her no. I should have looked her straight in the eye and I should have shouted, "NO, N-O!" But I didn't. I couldn't. She squealed and clapped her hands and began jumping up and down.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!!!!" She ran back to Goten, and he pulled an umbrella out from his black Jansport backpack to keep the rain from devouring them before they got to his white Mini Cooper. Miss Manderline would die if she knew that he was driving. She may not know how she drives, but the fact that he is and her baby/best friend's daughter is in the car with him is more than enough to make her infuriated. I better keep quiet.

I watched them drive away, and I was completely fascinated and how the car seemed to glow as the rain bounced off of the surface. To think that something so simple could make something look so pretty. I heard someone sit down beside me, and I could feel them looking at me, but I ignored them.

"Hey," I turned and looked at him in disbelief. I almost wished I was his girlfriend for the moment so I could fret about his lack of existence at school today.

"I didn't see you in school today. I figured you didn't show up," I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and waited for him to answer. He laughed quietly and fingered the hole on his jeans. I watched intently, because there was nothing else to look at, and for whatever reason, I felt angry with him.

"I was there. I guess you just didn't see me. I just left from Mr. Karl's class to drop off something," he stopped messing with the fragile white strands as he shifted his weight to get comfortable.

"Don't you have a car?" I don't know why I asked, and the minute the words left my mouth I regretted it. I sounded so rude. Fortunately, he didn't seem at all offended by my question, and he began playing with my shoelace, twirling around his finger, then straightening it out again.

"Yeah, but I didn't want you to wait here by yourself. Who knows what kind of creep could be crawling around school gounds once everyone's gone, ya know?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, thanks. Amy won't mind that you're here?" I switched my attention to his hair, so I wouldn't have to see his expression when he answered me. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch it. I wanted to see if it was as silky and soft as it looked.

"I could care less what she thinks. I know that's the way she is with me. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she was with some other guy as we speak," he scoffed and turned away from me. I wish I could say that I was surprised, but I wasn't, and this fact made me feel sad for him. From what I've seen, he's a good guy.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was like that," Now I was looking at him, silently begging for him to turn and face me. It was like he read my mine. Our eyes met and he surprised me by reaching out and taking my hand.

"Don't apologize, Stacy. It's not your fault or your problem," The sound of a car horn being hit repeatedly rose above the noise of the storm. He chuckled and released my hand. "It looks like your ride is here. I'll see you around later, okay?" he didn't wait for me to answer. Instead he stood and ran through the rain to where his car was parked in the parking lot. I slowly rose, and rushed to Miss Manderline's car. She didn't look happy, and all she was looking at was Trunks.

XXXXX

"You sleeping with this boy?" Miss Manderline's voice was angry and shrill. I know that her intention was to make me feel intimidated, but I couldn't believe that she would think of me that way with some guy I've only known for a few days.

"No! I barely know him! And, besides, he has a _girlfriend_!" My own voice sounded strange and unfamiliar to me, for it too was shrill and angry like Miss Manderline's. I've never expressed that kind of anger to anyone before, and, unless I was crying or surprised, I never had a specific feeling expressed from my voice. Being around Earthlings has made me just as strange and foreign as them, and I'm not sure I like that.

"He was holding your hand," She seemed desperate to turn this into an argument, but it served as a distraction from Gracey's absence, so I took the bait and responded.

"He has an unreliable girlfriend. I felt bad for him and I told him I was sorry. He must've been sad so he held my hand, and then he told me it wasn't my fault, that's all that happened," I hadn't realized at the time that one simple gesture could mean so many different things, and how differently people from outside the conversation saw this gesture. Apparently, it had seemed like an intimate one.

Miss Manderline grunted and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. It wasn't until during this moment of silence that she noticed Gracey wasn't in the car. She jumped slightly in her seat before swiveling around and staring at Gracey's empty seat in disbelief. She began to hyperventilate and wrenched her eyes back onto the road at the sound of multiple cars slamming their horns when trying to avoid being hit by her.

"Stacy! Stacy!!" She gasped. She sounded like she had just run a marathon even though she was out of shape and hadn't even trained for it. She didn't give me time to say anything before she shrieked out what else she had to say, "We left Gracey at the school!! We have to turn back immediately!!! B-but there's so much traffic! What are we going to do?!" Show time.

"I'm sorry, Miss Manderline. I forgot to tell you, but Gracey went over to her friend's house to hang out for a little while. She'll be back at around eight she said. I think that they're going to the mall then over to her friend's house, so she's going to be awhile," I shrugged and gazed out the window. I longed to hear the sound of thunder again. Miss Manderline's breathing began to slow and was soon back to normal.

"Which friend?" I heard the suspicion in her voice, and I immediately felt guilty. She had every right to be suspicious of me, and now I was about to pretend that I hadn't noticed the sudden change of tone in her voice. Like everything was all right.

"The blonde one. Ya know, one of her cheerleader friend's that she's always hanging around. She told me her name, but they all run together, so I don't really remember. I think it was….Charcoal? Bitchley? I don't know. I forgot." Luckily, part of that was true. Their names did smear together in mind, and that was how I remembered them. But, even if their names were blurry to me, I still knew who they were.

"You mean Charlotte and Ashley sweetie. Well…okay. As long as she's home for supper. I guess I'll serve it late tonight," I'm pretty sure that she kept talking after that, but my mind had long left the conversation.

I kept thinking about when Trunks played with my shoelace, then when he held my hand. What if the gestures _were_ intimate?_ "I could care less what she thinks. I know that's the way she is with me…"_ In a way, now that I think about it, it seemed like he was over Amy. Almost like they had broken up.

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And that's the end of chappie four! :) Once again, Suggestions are more than welcome. Please review! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Usual Disclaimer: i own none of the dbz character, but Stacy,Gracey,Roth,MissManderline,and Rayne all belong to me. :) I'm sorry for taking so long.... 'o.o I've just been super busy with school and stuff, it's hard to find the time anymore... :'(

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Chapter Five

"I can't believe you let this happen!" Miss Manderline tugged at her frizzy, deep red hair and glared at me.

I stared at my cold, untouched meal, and then my eyes flicked to the clock again.

Nine-fifty-one and Gracey still wasn't home.

I groaned and ran my hand through my hair. Of course, this would be seen as my fault. But, it isn't really. That is, if you bother to look at the situation in the correct lighting. If the girl can't make it in the time that she said that she was, then it's obviously all her fault…right? Yes. Yes, it is.

Miss Manderline struck various pots and pans hanging from the ceiling with one of her wooden rolling pins; anything to help her vent a little bit. As she began to tire, her breathing slowed little by little until it had turned into a steady pant. She stopped moving and turned to me. She didn't say anything because of lack of breath, but when she did, she only said four words.

"Stacy, go to bed."

I began to protest, but the minute I opened my mouth, Miss Manderline had already seen the rebellion on its way across the top of the hill.

"Now," she growled. The words were demanding and fierce—Miss Manderline had never taken that tone with me.

I silently obeyed and left the room.

The first click against the window was subtle, but the next was harsh.

I rolled over onto my side and looked at the moonlight spilling form the window. I could hear the howling of the wind outside, so I figured the click was made by one of our many trees. I grunted and wiggled under the covers, trying to get warm. I closed my eyes and sighed, ready to go back to sleep.

It wasn't until I heard my shatter that I guessed that maybe someone was trying to get my attention. I sat up and glared at the jagged little hole, then the shards of glass glittering in the carpet, and then I silently gave the smooth, hade pebble a piece of my mind as well. Why not?

I sauntered towards the window in what I hoped was an angry manner. Unfortunately, I began to vacillate and I had to hold onto a nearby desk for support. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten up as quickly as I did.

"Hey!" the shout was barely audible, and as soon as I'd heard it, it was carried away by the wind. I peered through the sharp hole in my window and saw Gracey trekking across the muddy dirt, probably in search for another pebble. I'd just decided to revel in her tedious search for another stupid stone when she looked up and made eye contact with me. She seemed giddy, yet a dark scowl formed on her face as she motioned for me to come down to her. I wasn't going to, but then I remembered how much trouble she would be in. My clocks' time glow an eerie green from across the room. Midnight. She was so busted.

I met her on the front porch. She almost seemed to glow against the dark sky, and she could have portrayed an angel, however, the angry frown on her face added a bit of demonic flair to her pixie-like face.

"Was the date that bad?" Absently I brought a small lock of hair to my mouth and nibbled on the end of it. My other hand tugged at the bottom of my night shirt as I tried to hide some of my bare legs from the cool, brisk wind.

Gracey's expression quickly changed from extreme anger to brief annoyance. She crossed her arms and her head snapped to the right. She instantly changed from an angry teenager to a pouty little girl that didn't get the unicorn she wanted for her fifth birthday. "No, it wasn't bad at all," her expression shifted once more, this time to one filled with awe. "It was fantastic. Completely perfect and romantic in every way." She seemed to forget that I was here as she clasped her hands together under her chin and smiled.

I spat the hair from my mouth and rolled my eyes. Honestly, Gracey can be just so bipolar sometimes. Has she even stopped to consider what time it was or the consequence that I had to endure because of her absence? No, I think not.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, her face was almost vacant for a brief moment. She dropped her hands and sighed. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know that you must have gotten into a lot of trouble because of me. It's just…it's just that the date was so wonderful Stacy! We went to Noodle Alley and we had the best meal that you could possibly imagine! Then, we went for a walk in the park and we kissed and, oh, Stacy! Stacy, he even asked me to meet his parents next week! Can you believe it?" She sighed again and twirled in a slow small circle, letting her knee-length skirt flow with her body as she did. "I think I'm falling for him, Stacy,"

I felt my hands form fists and my jaw tighten. Something about this situation just made me feel so angry, and frustrated. I wanted to extend my arm and clip her in the jaw. Instead, I tried to force my body to relax and I told myself to just let go, that everything was okay. I closed my eyes and turned into the direction of the open front door.

"Let's go inside now and get some rest. Good night," I pushed myself through the front door, and I was nearly running to my room. I didn't stop to listen and see if she followed, though I assume that she did.

My sleep was dreamless, and I awoke to the muffled yell of Miss Manderline. I that I could comprehend was a series of "Why's".

I rolled (literally) off of my bed and dressed in simple black skinny jeans, a soft pink pullover, and my usual black converse. I ran the straightener through my hair and grabbed a few rings and a silver star necklace before going downstairs for breakfast. That is, if we have breakfast anyway.

The first thing I saw when I entered the kitchen was Gracey leaning against the island, clad in a green plaid skirt and a navy-blue Hollister blouse. Her shoulder length hair was fixed into perfect curls with her thick bangs brushed off to the right side of her face.

Up close, I could hear Miss Manderline's voice with more clarity.

"How could you go out with some boy, Gracey? Why would you lie to me like this? Even worse, you didn't show up for supper last night! Who knows when you came home! I don't think I've ever been so worried!

"You and Stacy! You two just keep disobeying me! I feel as though I no longer have any control over wither of you! Therefore, you girls are forcing me to take drastic measures; you're mother is coming by the end of the month—"

Mother…

I stopped listening. Maybe I even stopped breathing; I'm not sure.

My knees collapsed beneath me and I fell to the floor. All sounds seemed far away, much too far to bother reaching for them. However, the sounds closest to me wouldn't go away. My own breathing seemed amplified and it felt as though I could literally _feel_ the beating of my heart in every inch of my body.

My mother…Rayne…

I had been so sure that she was dead. Even her file with the Sayain Elite Force claimed that she was killed in action during the very beginning of the virus. When the war first started between the sane and the insane. She was one of the best warriors out there, and they told us that she was dead. There's no way…

_"Mother, promise me you'll come back," I said. My chin length hair swayed in the breeze._

_She stood before me, tall, muscular, and forever proud. Her dark eyes were twinkling and her gloved hand brushed her smooth black hair out of her tanned face. She looked so powerful in her deep blue warrior attire, yet she was always so gentle in everything that she did._

_She knelt down to where she was level with me, and she patted my head gently._

_"Don't worry," her voice sliced through the still air, but the sound was comforting and reassuring. "I always come back, don't I?"_

_I said nothing and I felt hot tears well up deep inside me, and my throat hurt so much that I couldn't speak._ 'Please don't leave me momma,'_ I wanted to cry._

_There was no doubt that she was the tears forming in my eyes. She pulled me into a hug and, just as calmly as before, said, "I'm going to leave you and your sister with Roth and Akita. If anything goes wrong before I get back, I've instructed Akita to take both you and Gracey somewhere safe. When Gracey wakes up, be sure to tell her that I love her very much." She stopped and squeezed me tighter. "And I love you very much, too, Stacy. Never, ever forget." The chilling sound of a horn went off in the distance, and it was followed by a series of explosions. Her body tensed as she held me even tighter. She let go far too soon and stood back away from me._

_"Goodbye, little one!" She smiled one last time and disappeared. _

_Only at this moment did I allow the tears to break free._

_"Momma!" I broke into a run, and before I could get far, strong familiar hands pulled me back._

_"It'll be okay," He said. "She'll come back. She always comes back,"_

_"What if…what if she doesn't, Roth?"_

_"Don't think that way." His tone was sharp, but had a gentle undertone. He was my brother; he understood what I was feeling, I'm sure. "She will come back. I bet we'll see her by the end of this month. She always comes back,"_

But she didn't.

We had waited for months, and we never saw her again. No one ever said anything, but we all silently agreed that she was, indeed, dead.

It was confirmed later on, six months, three weeks, and two days since the last time that I saw her. They sent one of her comrades to tell us.

Everything went downhill from there, and it wasn't soon before Roth joined the militia, trying to finish a battle that my mother died in.

"Mother…" The cry was dry and faint on my lips, the tears flowing down my face freely.

I was faintly aware of Gracey's arms around me, and I felt her own tears soaking through the shoulder of my shirt. I clung to her allowing our sobs to be all that we could hear. We stayed that way for what seemed like hours.

Out of the corner of my eye it seemed as though Miss Manderline were shaking her head; my vision was so blurred it was hard to tell for sure.

I convinced myself that I was mistaken—it didn't take long, everything was wrong and strange right now—but then, just barely over the sound of our crying I heard her speaking to herself, her voice was quiet and I could tell that we weren't meant to hear. I could only catch one sentence, but that one sentence was all that really mattered to me at the moment.

"We shouldn't have lied,"

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Woohoo! XD Please review, and suggestions are always welcome! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you so much for waiting so long for this next chapter! [Insert usual disclaimer] :) Enjoy!

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Chapter Six

That night, Gracey fell asleep beside me. Every once and a while, I could hear a soft hiccup, muffled by my thick sheets. I was glad that she was finally sleeping peacefully--earlier she had been whimpering and tossing and turning. Now, as i looked at her she was the exact picture of tranquility. Her small hands were comfortably tucked beneath the pillow and her thick, dark eyelashes fluttered slightly as she dreamed. She breathed softly through her barely parted lips. I smirked and turned so that I was facing away from her.

I, on the other hand, could hardly keep my eyes closed, much less sleep. The fact that my mother was still alive blew me away! And I still couldn't stop thinking about what I heard Miss Manderline say. I didn't mention it to her, and once I was finished blubbering, I ran to my room for some well-needed music therapy.

Miss Manderline mentioned later that Mother would arrive around the time of my birthday. I don't know why, but I just couldn't feel happy--it just wasn't there. I'd shoved the emptiness aside and faked enthusiasm. I think she believed it--or, if she didn't, she at least pretended to.

I rolled over so that I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling. Unfortunately, final exams are tomorrow and I have--I glanced at my clock--a little less than two hours before my first class began. Time to get up, I guess.

I didn't bother with breakfast, but I mainly focused on my appearence. I took great care in combing my hair and i made sure that there wasn't a single smudge in my eyeliner. I picked my newest, cleanest sneakers (the majority of them are horribly dirty and they're falling apart) and, instead of a band t-shirt like I usually wear, i picked a light blue formfitting shirt with stars that were a slightly darker shade snaking down the side of my torso, and the sleeves went down to my elbow. I paired this with a scruffy pair of jeans--hey, you can't be perfect all of the time. I tugged at my short sleeves secretly hoping that they would suddenly shoot out to fit normal wrist length, and I fought the urge to grab one of my baggy hoodies. I slid my silver-studded belt through the loops of my jeans and studied myself in the mirror. Perfect.

I could faintly hear Gracey call out, "Stacy! Time to go! We don't want to be late!" I groaned and trudged down the stairs. Since when did she care if I was late to school or not anyway? She usually just let when she left and if I wasn't awake and ready when it was "time to go" I was abandoned.

"Gracey waited for me at the bottom of the stairs, impatiently tapping her fingernails on our wooden rail. Her expression softened when she saw me and she stepped away from the staircase while averting her eyes from my gaze.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" she laughed softly before continuing, "I'm sure I must have slept like a baby, but it feels like I didn't actually sleep until the last five minutes!" She flashed an embarrassed smile and awaited my answer.

I considered telling her that a professional insomniac probably had more sleep than I did last night, but, for some reason, I decided to lie.

"Yeah, I know what you mean! I got eight full hours and I still feel a little heavy. So are you ready for final exams?" She snorted and rolled her eyes and began heading to the door.

"Ready as one can be. Let's head out now. We'll be late, plus we can't just keep him waiting there."

"Him? Who's him?" Even though I quite obviously failed to understand her meaning, she still chose to ignore me like I was a dead stick in the mud. Well, as dead as a stick can get anyway...

I followed her out the door to leave and the minute I exited that lovely doorway of ours I saw him. Yes, that's right. The him. And that particular him that we all obviously should know just by using the pronoun "him" is...well...Goten.

"Hey! Thanks for agreeing to pick me up! And my sister too!" Gracey turned her head briefly in my direction as a way to gesture toward my existence. Hmph. "We both appreciate it very much--"

"Yes, thank you," I made my way to his car and got in in the backseat--something tells me that the passenger seat is reserved for my sister. I got all my stuff settled in the back of his car leaving just enough space for my body to fit on at least half of one of the seats. Once I felt satisfied with accomplishing my goal of taking up as much room as humanly possible I looked up to see Gracey glaring at me. So much for that sisterly love, huh?

Goten was staring at me with a puzzled expression on his face, but after a few moments of silence he burst out laughing and took his place in the driver seat. Gracey followed reluctantly behind, but she sat in the passenger seat, of course--I told you it was reserved for her.

We arrive at school safe-and-sound and perfectly on time. Gracey leaned over and gave Goten a peck on the kiss and I knew that that was my cue to get the hell out of there. I grabbed my belongings and shut the door and hurried away from his car. I was almost to the front door when I heard Gracey call my name. The first thing I saw was Gracey hurrying toward me with her hand in the air like I was some taxi driver or something. The second thing I saw was Trunks. He was on the sidewalk conversing with Goten. If I weren't so goddamn fascinated with this boy, that would have been all I had noticed, but I kept looking and I noticed that they were looking at me. Luckily, for the perspective they had of me, it seemed like I was looking at Gracey, so there was no fear of them watching me watch them. They both glanced at me quickly again and again, then after each glance they would go in a little huddle and whisper then pause to peek at me again. Something Goten said made Trunks smile. They looked at me again. They straightened up and quite looking as suspicious before and Goten patted Trunks on the back and they were both laughing. Trunks grabbed Goten's hand for a handshake then, before it ended, pulled Goten in for a friendly hug. When they pulled apart a few seconds later Trunks, still with a smile on his face, nodded at the still grinning Goten and jogged towards the gym.

"--but that just doesn't seem right does it?" I moved my eyes back on Gracey who was now standing by my side digging through her purse. When I didn't answer she stopped looking for whatever it was that she was looking for and stared at me.

"Um...you're right. You're totally right. It doesn't." Damn. I stumbled over my words a little bit, and I expected her to ask me about it--she hates it when she finds out people weren't listening to her when she was talking to them--but instead she smiled and continued digging in her purse until she pulled out her cell phone and a silver black pen.

"I know. I know." She met my eyes once more and giggled. "I'm always right!" At just that moment Amy pranced by with her irritatingly perfect strut.

"Come on, Gracey! We're going to be late to first period!" She really stressed the word "period" with her nasally voice in that whiny tone that I hated. Besides, I honestly think that she would probably do better in that class--which is geometry, by the way--if she didn't show up. That or she would do just as good.

I rolled my eyes and walked on, hoping to leave them behind. I dialed my locker combination, so stuck in the rut that was my daily routine that I didn't notice him standing next to me.

"Hey,"

"OH!" My reaction was quick but sloppy. I jerked back while also managing to turn around to face him but, at the same time, I dropped all of my crap on the floor and made my locker door slam against the other lockers so hard that it sounded like thunder echoing down the now empty hallway. I was breathing and my heart was beating so hard that it felt like that with each thump a vibration was sent throughout my entire body. Trunks' hearty laughter replaced the thunder and he leaned closer to me with a huge grin smacked across his face.

"Did I scare you, Stacy?" He struggled to stop laughing and backed away from me to bend down and scoop up all of my dropped items. I sighed and let out a little chuckle before shutting my locker door and answering him.

"Nah, not at all. I saw it coming." He stood up and handed me my books, but all of the enthusiasm and laughter was gone from his face. He avoided my eyes and shifted his weight to the left then to the right and to the left again. The tardy bell rang through the halls with deafening volume.

"Shit. Well, I guess we're not showing up for first period today," He stopped and ruffled his his lavender hair with his huge hands and like touching his hair triggered some kind of idiotic hair-switch, the playfulness was back in his features. "Let's go to the garden, 'kay?" He held out his hand and smiled. At first all I could do was stare at it; did he want me to take it? I guess so because it's still hanging there in the empty air. I chuckled to myself before placing my smaller more feminine hand into his bigger masculine one.

"Okay,"

We entered the garden hand in hand. Through the whole way there we had been silent, but it wasn't awkward at all like some may think. It was just peaceful...and...lovely...and special. It was a special kind of silence. A kind of silence that I don't think I've ever felt before. We approached a stone bench where he plopped down and gestured for me to do the same. I eased my body onto the cool surface and closed my eyes. I let the refreshing scent of the blossoms in the garden fill my heart with warmth accompanied with the comforting feeling of Trunks rubbing my palm with his thick thumb every couple of seconds.

"Are you busy later today? Like, this evening?" I opened my eyes and faced him. He wasn't looking at me, but instead kept rubbing my palm, almost like a ritual. I knew that I had nothing important to do today. Sure, I had homework, but that could be done in the early afternoon as soon as I got home.

"Nope. I'm free," His face turned pink with this response. I could hear him swallow and he took a few deep breaths. Now he turned and it felt like his sky blue eyes just penetrated right through me.

"Well...it's just that...I was wondering if maybe you would want to go have dinner with me tonight at the burger joint. It would--it would be just the two of us..." he looked away from me and quickly added, "If that's okay with you, that is..." He was asking me out? I felt my heartbeat quicken and pure excitement and bliss swept through me.

"Yeah! I mean, yes. Of course! That sounds fun!" I don't think I've ever smiled so big in my life. It hurt like hell, but it wouldn't go away. I had a date with Trunks Briefs!

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Yaaaay! Sorry it took me so long to put up this chapter! I've been really busy lately and i just immediatly began spitting out chappie's right from the beginning and it stopped being fun... :'( But I gave myself a long--much too long really--break and now it's fun again, so hopefully you'll be seeing more chapters soon! :) Please comment and review and constructive criticism and suggestions are more than welcome. :) Thanks!

-xxASecretAffairxx


	7. Chapter 7 Part 1

**Sorry it took so long for me to put this up. I started it pretty soon after posting up Chapter 6, but then final exams came along and whatnot, and now I'm part of an orchestra for a play and I just did this piano camp and all that jazz, so yeah. I've been pretty busy lately... :( But yeah, that's not what's important, so...**

**ENJOY! XD**

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Chapter 7 Part 1

My entire body felt like air when I got home that day. I don't believe I've ever felt so…happy before. And it was true enthusiasm; there was no emptiness.

I know he probably wouldn't have cared all that much, but I went home and changed my outfit. My jeans were nicer and had a dark, deep navy blue shade. I wore the same classic—and clean—black-and-white Converse as I did earlier today. Instead of my blue shirt from earlier I changed to a black solid-lace long sleeve shirt and a soft wine-red shirt over it. I straightened any loose wave that I may have missed and wiped away all of the smudges in my eye make-up. I even went through the trouble to repaint my chipped, black nail polish.

I must have stared at myself in the mirror for hours because, believe it or not, I actually got tired of looking at myself.

I had advised Trunks to pick me up at the end of the road that lead to my house. I could hear Miss Manderline moving around in the kitchen and, every once and awhile, the sound of pots and pans clanking together.

I tiptoed down the stairs and out the door knowing that—as long as I remained quiet, of course—she was so far in her own little world that she wouldn't even notice me or my absence.

I hurried for cover beneath the thick canopy of trees that cover our road. I had left about half an hour early but the road was close to a mile and a half long, and I planned on taking my sweet time to avoid looking windblown. Once I reached the eerie tunnel of greenery I slowed to a walk and quickly ran my fingers through my hair. The walk may have been intimidating because it was so dark, but I had a lot on my mind so I guess that was okay.

Gracey had left the school with Amy. They planned on going shopping then staying the night at Amy's house. There was a small breeze coming my way; I sighed and let my eyes close allowing the soft, cool air brush across my skin. I don't know how Gracey can stand her, but then again, I don't know how people can stand Gracey sometimes—

I froze. I had faintly felt the ki when I had first gone on the road, but I had figured that it was just Miss Manderline throwing a fit about something that happened in the kitchen, but…now I wasn't so sure. It came and went in flashes, so whoever it belonged to was obviously struggling to keep it lowered. I was half way to the end of the road, but it didn't look like there was anyone there. I heard the sharp snap of a twig behind me and I whirled around wide-eyed and with my heart racing. The minute I turned around the ki disappeared. Just like that. Gone. Like it had never been there in the first place.

I did a quick 360 and even took the time to scan the trees before lifting of my feet and hovering upward until my head almost touched the top of the canopy for a better view. I knew that I had to keep my true race under cover, but something told me that if what just happened really happened then whoever _it_ was was no human. No. Way. In. Hell. Everything seemed kind of empty. I couldn't see anything out of the norm, I couldn't hear anything out of the norm. Nothing.

Since I was already up in the air, I went ahead and flew the majority of the way to the end of the road, keeping myself tucked away in the shadowed shelter of the trees to prevent anyone from seeing me that shouldn't.

It felt good to fly. We were all so paranoid that we never did any of the things that our kind loved to do. I kept my ki low and half listened as the air whistled past me. The feeling that I felt was indescribable, but I can say this: it was perfect. The perfect kind of feeling.

I came out of my "zone" just in time to see Trunks' sleek, black Lamborghini pull into the road and stop. I swung to the tree closest to me on my left and fell to my feet on the solid ground. I took a moment to fix my hair—yes, again—and made sure that my clothes weren't out of place or ripped or twisted or anything awful like that. Any fear or paranoia from earlier was gone and I was feeling excited all over again. I decided to walk through the trees so that I would just seem to pop up out of nowhere and surprise him. I walked through the tangled trees and vines carefully, letting my right hand run gently across the bark of each tree that I passed, mostly for comfort but also for luck.

I was now at the edge of the forest and all that stood between me and him was one or two trees. I peeked past one of the cautiously, just to see him. He looked nervous again and was constantly fidgeting. First he would run his fingers through his hair, then scratch his neck, then adjusted his cool-gray t-shirt before pausing to stay still for a couple of seconds. Seeing him this way put warmth in my heart and a flutter in my stomach; he looked so innocent and vulnerable. I snapped out of my dreamy state and slowly walked out of my hiding spot, up to his car and taped on the car window.

He jumped slightly right at first, but then his eyes met mine and a smile fell upon his angelic face. He rolled down the window and leaned towards me in his seat, all the while with the beautiful smile on his face.

"Hey," Just one word, that's all it took from him and I felt a little dizzy. I couldn't answer but I gave a small smile and nibbled on my bottom lip. He chuckled and unbuckled his seat belt, opened the car door and got out of the car, and then he began to walk in my direction, but that smile never left his face, and his eyes never once looked away from me. He stopped in front of me and whispered,

"You look beautiful, thank you," the last words kind of startled me. I felt my smile twitch a little, but luckily he was no longer looking at me, but turned his attention to my car door. He opened it for me and gestured for me to get it. I slid into the open doorway and folded my hands on my lap. I could feel my face heating up as he closed the door and started to walk towards his side of the car again. I watched him as he passed in front of the headlights, until I saw what looked like movement in the distance. I immediately felt on edge all over again as I leaned forward and squinted hoping for a better look. Once again, absolutely nothing. Maybe it was just paranoia. I heard his car door shut beside me.

"Stacy? Is something wrong?" I quickly leaned away and face him. He looked so concerned. Almost childlike. I let out a soft giggle.

"No. I just thought I saw something, but it was probably nothing." I smiled and shrugged. His smile was back.

"Well, good. I'm glad that was all." He began to pull out of where he had been parked and started down the road. We rode in silence for a while, and I just stared ahead out the window watching everything come towards us, and then pass us.

It wasn't long before he pulled into the small parking lot in front of our local burger joint. _Riley's Burgers_. Kind of blunt, huh? Being the gentlemen that he was, he came over and opened my door for me and closed it after I got out.

"C'mon," He whispered. He slipped his hand into mine. "Let's go inside,"

* * *

**_To be continued! :D_**

**...I don't remember if I put that on any of the other chapters, but I guess it doesn't matter since this one is part 1 of 2. And in case your wondering why that was it's because if i didn't this would be a loooooooonnnng chapter and because I want some more ideas to make the date sweeter and whatnot, so...be on the lookout for Chapter 7 Part 2! :)**


	8. Chapter 7 Part 2

**Hewoh... :) I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a really really long time. I've been super busy and I just haven't found any time to right...but I've been feeling inspired, so I made time! And now for the second part of Chapter 7 of Deep. :) enjoy.**

**- T.T bandgeekk T.T**

Chapter 7…Part 2

I reached up to pull a strand of hair away from my face as I skimmed the menu. I glanced up and saw that Trunks was looking around, probably for a waiter or a waitress. I shut the menu and set it gently on the table. Trunks heard the soft pat of the menu and looked towards me, with his gorgeous smile on his face. The butterflies in my stomach were going insane.

"Have you decided on what you want?" he flagged down a waiter before I answered.

"Um, yeah. I'm thinking about the veggie burger." Almost the very minute the word "veggie" exited my mouth, Trunks burst out laughing.

"What?" I couldn't help the edge that my voice took on, but I do not appreciate being laughed at, especially when I don't know the reason.

"Oh, nothing." His magical grin never left his face. "Health and good food—well, _healthy_ food—is good, I guess," He stretched with his arms behind his head, emitting a low groan.

"You guess? Of course it's good! It's great!" I could see slight movement in my left peripheral and I turned to see an old wrinkly woman. Her skin has obviously suffered years of constant tanning—fake, of course. Her electric orange hair seemed fried and her age showed through her graying eyebrows, and the liver spots that were beginning to show on her spidery, veiny hands. I felt my lip begin to curl in disgust, but before my revolt became obvious, I averted my eyes and instead stared at my own hands. Sometimes I feel sorry for humans. I know it's not always this sever, but I do know all humans that survive long enough to live a full lifespan eventually look like this woman, my waitress, I guess. I had never seen a sayain that resembled anything close to the elders here on Earth.

"Can I get you two somethin'?" a smoker. My heightened sense of smell caught the cigarette on her breath. So this human is suffering the slow end of her own self-destruction. Disgusting. Trunks, however, didn't seem bothered by her at all, but I guess humans aren't as easily bothered by other humans. He smiled pleasantly and gathered our menus.

"Yeah, actually. My date would like a veggie burger, and I would like the double cheese burger with an extra side of fires, please." He released the menus into her ugly hands and took a sip from his soda.

"Alrightie, well I'll hurry up and get that out for ya'll, 'kay hun?" I waited till she had her broad, hunched back turned so I could cringe. Luckily Trunks didn't see, for he was drinking his soda with his eyes closed. With his lids still shut and his words muffled by his straw, he continued.

"Yeah, healthy food is good for you, you're right," he opened his eyes and tilted his head so that his eyes were about level with mine. "So does this mean you're a vegetarian?"

"No, I eat meet, too. I just love the taste of a warm black-bean p[atty!" He mimicked the expression of pure disgust with his nose crinkled his eyebrows scrunched together and his pink tongue barely sticking out of his mouth. This expression was followed by one word, if it even deserves to be called a word.

"Ugh."

The nasty earthling elder, whose name I found out was Angie—she and Trunks were apparently on a first name basis, because he came her so often—brought out our steaming hot entrees and Trunks' extra plate of fries. I stared in disbelief at his food—it took up over half of the table! (The extra fries plate was huge and his entrée plate was ridiculously big for a human boy; then again, I heard that the appetite of a growing Earthling boy can be quite surprising.) Even with a bit of "seen-it-with-my-own-eyes" information, I couldn't help but say something.

"I'm surprised you're not obese," the words came out casually and I reached for my burger without a second thought, but then I preprocessed those words through my head my hands froze before making contact with my meal. I cannot believe that I just said that, I don't even know how he would react. The whole world seemed to freeze with my hands and it felt like I was drowning in the silence, even though I knew that that was impossible because the jukebox speakers were turned up on full volume two seconds ago.

The unbearable silence was broken by trunks' deep laughter, and the music now seemed so loud it was deafening.

"You sound just like Chi-Chi!" His blue eyes were filled with adoration as he looked at me, but I felt the awful tug of jealously at the bottom of my stomach and claw its way up through my esophagus until it was a bothersome lump in my throat.

"Who's Chi-chi?" I asked.

"Oh! I forgot you haven't met her yet! Chi-Chi is Goten's mom." The lump seemed to vanish.

"Oh alright." My words were greeted with Trunks' now familiar chuckle. I reached down to finally get that first taste of my so-far0untouched food, when my eyes flicked up and I noticed that almost all of Trunks' food was gone.

My eyes must have resembled the dishes that Trunks' food used to be on because he looks up at me innocently.

"What?"

"Um, WOAH! Hungry much?" this laughter seemed sort of nervous as he reached up behind his neck and scratched it.

"Yeah…that appetite kinda runs in the family," I felt my smile mirror his.

I folded my hands behind my back as I walked back to Trunks' car. I whirled around to face him as he opened my door.

"Thank you for tonight, Trunks. I'm really having a lot of fun!" He slowly shut the door and took a couple of steps closer to me, so close that the tips of our shoes were touching. I felt lost in his beautiful eyes and the next thing he said sent magnificent chills running down my spine.

"Well, since we're both having so much fun, why let this night end so quickly?" I felt his arms wrap around my waist as he closed his eyes and brushed his soft gentle lips against my hairline. He made eye contact with me once more. I saw him glance up behind me. He slowly turned my body toward the direction he was looking and pointed at the glowing sphere in the sky.

"Look," he whispered the word into my ear, and pulled closer until my back was completely pressed against his warm, muscular body. "It's a full moon…" he grabbed my hand and spun me around once more to where I was facing him again. His perfect, flawless face was inches from mine and his soft breath tickled my face; all the while I was grinning like an idiot. No wonder he was the most sought after boy in our school. He sighed against my face as his huge hand reached up to push some of the hair out of my face.

"Would you like to accompany me on a moonlit stroll?" He was so sweet. So charming. So gentle. So…perfect. I found myself reaching up—I had to stand on my tip-toes though—to rest my hand against his cheek, then tracing my index finger along his strong jaw line.

"Yeah," the words seemed to almost dance between us, like they were so happy they weren't quite ready to evaporate just yet. "Yeah, I would like that."

We walked hand-in-hand for what seemed like it should have been hours, even though it felt like minutes. I found that as we walked, I kept stealing glances at him. The moonlight seemed to magnify all of his best qualities, all of his fine, graceful features.

I was having one of my moments where I was staring at my feet as I walked instead of looking at him—if I stared too often, he would notice—when I noticed he had stopped walking and I was merely tugging on his hand. I stopped walking as well.

"Is there something, wrong?" His cheeks were bright pink, and I noticed that his grip on my hand tightened slightly.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Um, Stacy?" He stepped closer to me; his whole face was pink now. "May I—um...Would…would it be alright...if I kissed you?" I was shocked, but at the same time I was excited. Trunks Briefs wanted to kiss me! And he was such a gentlemen about it, too!

"Well, since you asked so nicely," I raised myself up on my tippy toes for the second time that night as I allowed my eyes to close and let my lips press against his. My hands found their way to the nape of his neck. Trunks' hand raked through my hair as his tongue parted my lips. While our tongues battled for dominance, I felt a sudden urgency as I kissed him. I wanted all of him. I wanted to memorize every detail. His taste, the music his voice made, the way his body trembled as I ran my hand lightly down his chest and up his shirt. He was everything someone could want and so much more.

The ride home was silent, but not in an awkward way like one would suspect. In fact, it was in a wonderful way, like we didn't need words to enjoy each other's company. His car slowed to a stop just outside of the long driveway to my home. My eyes glued themselves to my lap. I wasn't ready to leave just yet. His warm lips pressed themselves against my check.

"Thank you." Butterflies. He always gives me butterflies. I opened the door and slid out.

"Thank _you_." I offered to him what I hoped looked like a sweet smile and I slowly closed the car door. I watched as he drove away before jumping of my feet and flying all the way home. I felt so alive! The trees were a blur and my hair streamed freely behind me. I didn't get to do this often, so I enjoyed every minute of it! As my home came into view I pulled my body upright and did a couple of quick twirls before my feet touched the ground. The grin on my face was so wide it hurt!

The lights were all off; I only thought about it for a couple of seconds before coming to the conclusion that Miss Manderline had retired early. My feet effortlessly danced up the front steps and my hand found the doorknob.

My entire body froze as the door creaked open. Chills rolled down my spine, but these weren't chills of delight like they were just minutes ago. Something was horribly wrong. I could feel it. The scent was my first clue, there was an awful odor that clung desperately to the air—the house reeked of what smelled like death.

"Hello?" I felt like one of those stupid girls in horror movies as I cautiously creped from room to room. The whole house felt strangely empty. My stomach seemed to drag itself across the floor, desperate to stop my investigation.

I had searched ever room on the first floor but the kitchen, and there was nothing to be afraid of except that awful stench in any of them. The kitchen was silent and felt empty but the smell had gotten worse. I took a step inside the door and now I wanted to hold my breath—the stink was overwhelming! Another step.

_BA-BUMP_

The feeling that something was wrong kept coming back. Like an echo.

_BA-BUMP_

Another step.

_BA-BUMP_

It was getting hard to breathe.

_BA-BUMP_

A wave of nausea hit me…oh god…is that blood on the floor?

_BA-BUMP_

It's everywhere… Tears rushed to my eyes.

_BA-BUMP_

There's blood everywhere.

_BA-BUMP_

Everything seemed to stop.

All my mind could register was the image her mangled body sprawled on the floor.

**MUhahahahahahahaha! Haaa, just kidding. :) Thank you for sticking though my laziness and keeping up with my story, or if this is your first run through the story, thanks for making it so far. :) Feedback is much appreciated whether it be good or bad. (Though if you -must- criticize me, and least make it constructive criticism, pweaze. XD) Please stay tuned for chapter 8, coming out soon! ;)**


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